April 21-22
Commencement Weekend in Washington D.C.
Commencement Ceremony
(All Graduates)
Friday, April 21
EagleBank Arena
4500 Patriot Cir,
Fairfax, VA 22030
Check-in Time: 3 pm
Ceremony Time: 4 pm
Alumni Celebration
Friday, April 21
National Air and Space Museum
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
6:30-9:30 pm EST
Convocation Ceremonies
Saturday, April 22
EagleBank Arena
4500 Patriot Cir,
Fairfax, VA 22030
College of Business & College of IT
Check-in Time: 8:30 am
Ceremony Time: 9:30 am
Leavitt School of Health & School of Education
Check-in Time: 12:30 pm
Ceremony Time: 1:30 pm
College of Business & College of IT
9:30 am EST / 8:30 am CST / 7:30 am MST / 6:30 am PST
Leavitt School of Health & School of Education
1:30 pm EST / 12:30 pm CST / 11:30 am MST / 10:30 am PST
Washington D.C. Commencement Deadlines:
- RSVP
Deadline: Closed
- Cap & Gown Ordering
Deadline: Closed
- Philanthropy Cord
- Spirit Necklace
Alumni Celebration in Washington D.C.
Friday, April 21, 6:30-9:30 pm, ET
Kick off your commencement weekend with this exclusive alumni celebration in honor of our graduates!
All graduates and families who are attending the 2023 WGU Commencement in Washington D.C. are invited to join us for the Alumni Celebration at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
This family-friendly event is free to attend and will provide grads and their guests opportunities to connect, enjoy refreshments, take photos, play games, and dance the night away! We encourage graduates and guests to dress in business casual attire. Come for the celebration, stay for the fun:
Take photos in our social photo booths and share using #WGUgrad
Meet Sage the Night Owl!
Visit our affiliated partnership booths to receive career advice, refer a friend to WGU, pick up your WGU Philanthropy Cord, and more.
Hit the dance floor or play family-friendly games with a fun WGU twist!
Enjoy refreshments and an open bar.
Participate in our passport activity for a chance to win a gift code to the WGU Online Store.
Contact Information
WGU Alumni Celebration contact: alumni@wgu.edu
WGU Alumni Celebration ADA and accessibility: alumni@wgu.edu
WGU Commencement questions: commencement@wgu.edu
Parking Information
Parking for this event will be free after 6 P.M. local time. View additional parking and direction details here.
Date: April 21, 2023
Time: 6:30-9:30 pm, ET
Location:
National Air and Space Museum
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
14390 Air and Space Museum Parkway
Chantilly, VA 20151
Schedule Infomation
To kick off Commencement Weekend, all graduates and guests will meet for the commencement ceremonies on Friday at 4:00 pm EDT. Doors open Friday at 3:00 PM, please plan on arriving early. You and your guests will hear messages from the keynote speaker, fellow graduates, and the university leadership. Our bachelor's graduates will turn their tassels.
The Alumni Celebration will follow commencement at The National Air and Space Museum | Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. Come participate in this family-friendly event with your guests, enjoy refreshments, play games, and dance the night away. Don’t forget to meet Sage the Night Owl!
The convocation portion of Commencement Weekend will take place on Saturday. Grads will experience their own personal moment walking across the stage to be individually recognized for their degree. You will also hear messages from your college. Please note the ceremony time for your college.
Graduates, please wear your cap and gown to both commencement and convocation.
Congratulations to you all!
Parking & Bag Policies
Coming Soon
Hotel Discounts
Information Coming Soon!
Alumni Celebration in Washington D.C.
Friday, April 21
Information Coming Soon!
Convocation Keynote Speaker
Information Coming Soon!
College of Business & College of IT Graduate Speakers
Information Coming Soon!
Leavitt School of Health & School of Education Graduate Speakers
Information Coming Soon!
National Anthem Singers
Information Coming Soon!
Keynote Speaker
Nicole Walters
CEO and Founder of Inherit Learning Company
Nicole Walters is on a mission to inspire people to not only live better lives, but also leave a legacy. Known as the coach you need in your business and life, she is adept at identifying ways to turn influence into income and popularity into profits. Whether on her top-rated business podcast or when she’s dropping gems from the event stage, Walters champions the long-term payoff of intentionally pursuing purpose.
After spending more than a decade working as a sales executive at Fortune 500 companies, Walters found herself at a crossroads. While her bank account boomed, she felt unfulfilled and bankrupt of the joy and economic freedom she desired. With a plan, a strong belief in her God-given talents and a deep desire to be her own boss, Walters left her six-figure job. She sought expert help and support. Within six months of taking the leap of faith, she successfully converted her part-time side hustle into a full-time business. Since then, she has built a multi-million-dollar personal development and business education empire.
As the CEO and Founder of Inherit Learning Company, Walters specializes in business development and strategic programs for emerging entrepreneurs and established business owners. From stay at home parents to small business owners, her transformative resources help everyday entrepreneurs get richer – in finances, relationships and health. Inherit Learning Company offers insight into proven corporate strategies and business principles that can catapult barely-surviving companies into thriving enterprises. Her firm’s unique and immersive programs help business owners gain the confidence and clarity to build profitable ventures doing what they love.
Viral videos of her juggling family and fortune have racked up over 30 million views and generated coverage on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Woman’s Day and Babble. Additionally, Walters has shared her business expertise with publications including Entrepreneur, Essence and Forbes.
A relatable and authentic leader, top business conferences such as the Marketing Impact Academy, Business Boutique, ConvertKit, FinCon and more have tapped Walters to serve as a keynote speaker. Members of her audience often remark on her transparent, practical and motivating approach to both business and life.
Walters is also the host of the popular and highly-rated Nicole Walters podcast, where she doles out entrepreneurship and lifestyle tips. Each week, thousands of listeners tune in to get nuggets of wisdom. When she’s not helping entrepreneurs optimize their businesses, Walters enjoys spending time with her three children.
Commencement Ceremony Graduate Speakers
Troy Wilson
Troy Wilson, II was born and raised in New York City, and is a product of the NYC Department of Education system. He’s a passionate, transformational educator who believes that every child can succeed. Growing up in the city, Troy was exposed to diversity woven into the tapestry of his schooling experience from a young age, which enabled him to understand the importance of advocating for all children.
Beginning his advocacy career, as a member of the NYC’s Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council, he advised various chancellors and, sharing the student experience of high schoolers across the borough of Manhattan, helping to enact change in the student discipline code. .
Since then, Wilson has had a variety of roles in schools, beginning as a family coordinator, special education services coordinator, dean of students, science teacher and now school leader. His educational philosophy has been impacted by the quote by Dr. Maya Angelou which states, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Therefore, his commitment has been to always ensure his students felt warmth and love from Mr. Wilson, a self-proclaimed favorite teacher. While actively involved in completing a degree, challenges beyond his control prohibited him from completing it until he enrolled at WGU.. He completed his Bachelor of Arts Educational Studies, Mild to Moderate Exceptionalities Special Education. Currently, Wilson is studying Progressive School Leadership at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. His goal is to ensure that every student will be given the opportunity to pursue their dreams with the support of a transformational educator.
Andrea Schindler
Navy spouse Andrea Schindler is passionate about teaching and has taught history and social studies all over the world from Northern Virginia to Florida to a naval base in Japan and even a few places in between. She graduated with a B.A. in History from Georgia Southern University in 2005 and earned her Master's in Curriculum and Instruction from WGU in November 2022.
Andrea enjoys performing stand-up comedy, having toured the United States, Australia, and Japan the last 7 years.
In 2021, she published a children’s book about parental alienation titled Where Did Sparrow Go?
Andrea and her husband have two children.
College of Business & College of I.T. Graduate Speakers
Indranil Chakraborty
Recent M.S. Data Analytics graduate, Indranil Chakraborty, has had 15 years of IT experience in Enterprise Architecture Governance, IT Risk Governance, Application Development, and Delivery domains. He has spearheaded the execution of Enterprise Architecture (EA) activities for the Bank, including process definition, architecture, and proof of concepts (POC), resulting in a 20% reduction in application enhancement cycle time.
The motivation to study data analytics came from Chakraborty’s involvement in data mining of Business System Data.
“With this degree, my IT skill sets will be enhanced and open new doors in the Data Analytics and Machine Learning world.
Ronald Simms Jr.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Ronald Simms Jr., has been married for 23 years and has three children and five grandchildren. Ronald has held numerous professional roles and currently serves as a Health Insurance Agent with US Health Advisors. He is a pro shop operator, a former collegiate bowling coach, and has been inducted into two Bowling Halls of Fame. He is currently running for the National President of The National Bowling Association, Inc.
Ronald loves to encourage people to be better than they were yesterday. He and his wife lead online groups, motivating others to go after their ‘better-than-right-now’ life. His YouTube channel, the Anti-Negativity Network, counters all the negativity encountered daily with real, positive content which may or many not include his love for the sport of bowling as well.
Leavitt School of Health & School of Education Graduate Speakers
Eric Miller
Eric Miller, happily married father of five – one in heaven and four alive – is a speaker, author, bedside nurse, clinical nurse instructor, runner, life-long learner, and annoyingly eternal optimist who believes strongly in empowering others on whatever journeys they embark upon.
Growing up knowing he would become a doctor, Eric took a detour into children’s ministry, eventually circling back around into healthcare – not as a doctor, but as a nurse. After obtaining his ADN, Eric began his nursing career working for Providence in his first dream job as a pediatric hematology/oncology nurse.
During that time, Eric returned to school to obtain his BSN as well as certifications in general pediatrics, pediatric hematology/oncology, and pediatric hospice and palliative care. Thirteen years later, after realizing his heart had its fill of sorrow, Eric began his second dream job as a postpartum/mother-baby nurse. During this time, he obtained his certification in maternal-neonatal nursing, and continues to care for families for over three years and counting. Recognizing he did not have enough on his plate, Eric obtained his MSN in Nursing Education and now serves as an adjunct clinical instructor at two local universities – Washington State University (peds) and Gonzaga University (OB) – adding dream jobs three and four.
In his spare time, Eric has served as public speaker, preacher, and teacher, has appeared in newspapers and television commercials, was selected as one of 24 national riders of the 2009 Donate Life Rose Parade float representing tissue and organ donation, and recently completed his 85th half marathon in eight years, blaming his wife of 23 years for this relatively new-found addiction. In 2013, Eric self-published his memoir, “It’s Okay to Yell at God… and Other Life Changing Discoveries Made on My Journey of Grief,” marrying the story of the tragic loss of his first son Micah with levity and humor, offering practical advice for those grieving the death of a loved one. Together he and his better half continually attempt to raise their four living children without losing their sanity in the process.
Rachel Willhite
Rachel Willhite resides in St. James, Missouri, with her husband and five children and three dogs.
Rachel worked in the banking industry for many years, and while studying business where she discovered her passion for education and switched her major. She recently began working with Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla, Missouri as a Training Specialist where she develops and trains on unique curriculum.
Rachel seeks to live her life by the old quaker proverb, “Thee lift me, and I’ll lift thee, and we’ll ascend together.” She hopes to continually help teach and lift others throughout her career and life.
National Anthem Singer
Brittany Thoms
Brittany Thoms of Wilson, North Carolina was born into a musically gifted family and has been singing since the age of two. She is the daughter of the late Rev. and Mrs. Benjamin A. Barnes Sr. and the youngest of seven children. From churches to stages to stadiums, Brittany has shared her gift with thousands. And at the beginning of 2022, she released her debut album entitled The Interlude in which she composed, arranged, and performed every song, all while earning her degree from WGU.
She is blessed to have a loving husband and children who have been an endless source of support and encouragement throughout her pursuit of education. Brittany recently began her career in education as an 8th Grade ELA teacher, where she is excited to mold the minds of her students thanks to all she’s learned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Commencement/Convocation FAQs
Ceremony FAQs
Ceremony Participation & RSVP FAQs
Regalia FAQs
Philanthropy Cords FAQs
Letter of Invitation for Abroad & Commencement Announcements FAQs
Graduation Application & Diploma FAQs